TL: FoodieMonster007
Baek Suryong and Cheoldu talked the night away at the inn, completely unaware that dawn was creeping up on them until the first light shone through the window.
Suddenly, Cheoldu jumped to his feet. “Oh no! I told the guys to disband if I didn’t return by sunrise…”
The night before, he’d given Asam the key to the warehouse and instructed him to divide up the treasure if he didn’t return by dawn. For all he knew, the Ironhead Sect’s headquarters was already completely abandoned.
“You idiot! How could you forget something so important?” Baek Suryong shouted, also springing to his feet.
Cheoldu shot back, “You heard everything, didn’t you? Shouldn’t you have remembered it too?”
“What? Now you’re trying to pin this on me?”
“Quit bickering, you fools! If you’ve got time to argue, you’ve got time to run!” The old woman barked, her voice gruff and commanding enough to jolt them both back to their senses.
Without another word, they bolted out of the inn, sprinting towards the crumbling mansion that served as the Ironhead Sect’s base.
As the mansion loomed into view, Baek Suryong clicked his tongue in disgust, “What the hell…?”Under the harsh light of day, the place looked even worse than it had in the dark. It was practically a ruin, teetering on the edge of collapse.
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Shaking his head, he asked, “This place looks haunted. Where did all your tribute money go?”
Cheoldu, trailing behind him, muttered sheepishly, “We spent it all on booze, food, and medicine when the kids got hurt…”
Baek Suryong shook his head in disbelief. “So you guys live paycheck to paycheck… Anyway, lucky for you, there’s still some people inside.”
Baek Suryong’s senses were sharp enough to detect the presences in the mansion, thanks to the Heaven Defying Divine Art. He slowed his pace and fell in step next to Cheoldu, then gave him a reassuring pat on the back, saying, “Your friends may not be the brightest, but they’re definitely loyal.”
Cheoldu managed a quiet smile, feeling a flicker of hope, but that was short-lived.
BOOM!
A sudden, loud noise erupted from inside the mansion, and a man shouted, “Okay, listen up, folks!”
“Asam?” Cheoldu mumbled. Asam was the Ironhead Sect’s secretary and one of his closest friends along with the late Jangsam.
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“If Cheoldu isn’t back by now, he’s either dead or captured by the Scarlet Tiger Gang! So, everything in the warehouse is ours now!”
“…What the hell is that bastard talking about?” Cheoldu’s mouth twitched in disbelief.
Asam continued his speech, “But damn it, where could we even go with such a small fortune?”
“Nowhere!”
“Life at the bottom will be the same wherever we go.”
“Hahaha!”
Laughter erupted from within the mansion.
“These guys… embarrassing me in front of a guest…” Cheoldu muttered. Worried that the sorry state of the Ironhead Sect might make Baek Suryong reconsider their alliance, he cast a nervous glance at him, but to his surprise, Baek Suryong was grinning impishly.
“Cheoldu, don’t you get a feeling that something is not quite right?” Baek Suryong asked.
Cheoldu blinked in confusion. “…What do you mean?”
Baek Suryong chuckled, “If they were really planning to disband, they’d just split the wealth and be done with it. Why is Asam gathering everyone and giving a speech?”
“That’s…”
Finally, Cheoldu realized the strangeness of the situation. These guys were on the brink of death yesterday. Why is Asam saying those things, and why do the others sound so lively and confident?
His questions were answered right away.
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“Fufufu! Who are we? We’re brothers who know all of each other’s secrets!”
“That’s right!”
“Ooh yeah!”
“You got it!”
Asam’s words were met with shouts of agreement, followed by the sound of weapons clashing. The atmosphere was electric, like soldiers preparing for battle.
Asam roared, “He wants to die alone? Cheoldu must think we’re a bunch of idiots. Isn’t that right?!”
The mansion shook with a deafening cheer. Weapons clanged, people yelled, and chaos erupted.
Still trying to process what was happening, Cheoldu whispered, “Why are they…”
Before he could finish his line, Asam’s voice rang out again, more serious this time.
“Let’s go rescue that stubborn fool Cheoldu. Or better yet, let’s die with him. Who’s coming with me to piss all over the Scarlet Tiger Gang’s doorstep?”
“Uwooo!”
The Ironhead Sect members’ spirits soared, and the mansion’s ancient gates wobbled as if they might collapse from the sheer force of their energy.
“Gear up, boys! This is war!”
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“WAR!”
Moments later, the already loose hinges on the Ironhead Sect’s gate gave way with a loud crash, and about twenty men burst out, their faces etched with killing intent.
Leading them was Asam, grinning wickedly and brandishing a scythe above his head. “Let’s go! Let’s save our crazy Boss… Cheoldu?”
Asam froze in his tracks, his expression turning to one of confusion as if he’d just seen a ghost.
Cheoldu ran up to him, grinning ear to ear. “It’s good to see you, you fucking bastard!”
SMACK!
“Oof!”
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Asam crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold by Cheoldu’s friendly headbutt.
“Sheesh, you guys sure are embarrassing,” Cheoldu complained as he dusted off his hands and looked around at the men of the Ironhead Sect, who were standing around awkwardly. “As you can see, I’m back. So quit messing around and get back inside, you dumbasses.”
“……” The men slowly backed into the mansion. The wind whistled through the gaping hole where the gate used to be.
“…And fix that broken gate!” Cheoldu shouted after them.
“Ugh, if you were alive, you should’ve just come back sooner…” Asam groaned, clutching his still throbbing head.
In front of him stood Cheoldu, looking more intimidating than ever, with a handsome stranger by his side.
“So… who’s this?” Asam asked, eyeing the newcomer warily.
Baek Suryong smiled but said nothing, leaving Cheoldu to make the introductions.
“He’s the new Boss of the Ironhead Sect.”
“What?”
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“Excuse me?”
“No, I mean, he’s our new Sect Leader…”
Cheoldu’s bombshell announcement left Asam and everyone else in stunned silence. A new Boss? Sect Leader? The same guy who’d rather fight to the death than bow down to the Scarlet Tiger Gang came back in the morning with a new boss?
Looking a bit uneasy, Cheoldu continued, “He’s much stronger than I am. We’re changing the name of our group, and he’s going to teach us advanced martial arts. Bo… Sect Leader, would you like to say a few words?”
Cheoldu scratched his head awkwardly and stepped aside.
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“Nice to meet you all,” Baek Suryong began, stepping forward to introduce himself.
Before he could continue though, Asam interrupted him, his eyes blazing with defiance, “What kind of nonsense is this? Cheoldu, have you lost your mind from all those headbutts? You’re calling that scrawny guy our new sect leader?”
It wasn’t just Asam. The other men, clearly disgruntled by the sudden change in leadership, began to grumble as well.
“This pretty boy is our new Boss?”
“Who the hell are you? Did you get in Cheoldu’s pants or something?”
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“Just look how dainty this guy is! He’s got to be into that stuff!”
A few of them swaggered over to Baek Suryong, ready to pick a fight.
Cheoldu’s face paled. Damn it, why are they tugging on the whiskers of this sleeping tiger?!
“Y-You fucking idiots! If you don’t want to die, stop!” he yelled.
However, Baek Suryong waved him off, saying, “Leave them be. I’ll teach them a lesson myself.”
Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped forward, his expression calm but his eyes gleaming with menace. This was no time for words; in a world like these gangsters’, fists spoke louder than anything else.
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Baek Suryong smirked wickedly. “Though I should warn you, it might hurt a bit.”
Before anyone could react, Baek Suryong vanished from sight.
POW! WHACK-SMACK-THWACK!
It took him less than a minute to make his point.
Asam, his face swollen like a bruised peach, bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle. “Hyung-nim! Please accept my greeting!”
The rest of the Ironhead Sect thugs quickly followed suit, bowing in unison.
"”Hyung-nim! Please accept our greetings!””
The crude, unrefined greeting and title were so fitting for these unorthodox sect members that Baek Suryong couldn’t help but chuckle. Turning this lot into a proper sect is going to be quite the task.
With the new hierarchy firmly established, he sat down with Cheoldu and Asam for a serious discussion.
“So you’re saying you’re going to take over this whole area?” Asam asked.
“You could put it that way.”
“Hyung-nim, what should we do? Should I tell the boys to get ready for battle?”
Asam’s eyes glittered with excitement. Baek Suryong was the greatest martial artist he had ever seen. Just a few minutes ago, he had seen the handsome man disappear in a flash, and the next thing he knew, all of his comrades were knocked over everywhere like fallen autumn leaves. Baek Suryong was exactly the kind of martial master he’d only heard about in stories, and he was now the new head of the Ironhead Sect.
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“Just give the order, and we’ll turn the Scarlet Tiger Gang into a bloody mess…”
BONK!
Baek Suryong smacked Asam on the head, cutting him off. “For now, do nothing. Don’t even think about fighting.”
“…What?”
“And stay out of sight as much as possible unless you want to get caught up in something nasty.”
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The Scarlet Tiger Gang and the Great Bear Gang would soon be at each other’s throats, but that would be handled by the Azure Dragon Academy students, who were scheduled to patrol the slums starting tomorrow. While they gained experience from the skirmishes, Baek Suryong planned to rebuild the Ironhead Sect.
“First, we need to do something about this rundown mansion. There’s no point in trying to repair it, so we should just demolish it and start over.”
“H-How on earth are we supposed to pay for that…?”
“I’ve already arranged for someone to come by this morning to give us an estimate.”
“Huh? Estimate? What…?”
“Just wait quietly for now.”
Not long after, a familiar face arrived, bringing good news for Baek Suryong. It was Bok Manchun, the White Dragon Conglomerate’s Chief Administrator, looking more robust and plump than ever.
“Mr. Baek!”
“Administrator Bok, you’re looking well.”
“And you, sir, just keep getting more and more handsome. If my daughter were a little older, I’d try to arrange an engagement! It’s such a shame!”
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“…Isn’t your daughter only five?”
“If she were ten, I’d definitely give it a try! Hahaha!”
Bok Manchun cracked a joke as soon as he arrived, his laughter echoing through the room. He still didn’t know that Heo Cheon was actually Baek Suryong in disguise, and currently believed that Baek Suryong was Heo Cheon’s best friend.
“By the way, Mr. Baek, have you seen Young Master lately? He’s been so busy that even I haven’t met him for a while…”
“He does seem to be preoccupied with work these days.”
“Hoho. Indeed, he’s a man who always appears and disappears like a ghost. I’d love to take you both out on a boat trip someday.”
“I’m sure we’ll find the time eventually.”
Finished with small talk, Bok Manchun surveyed the crumbling mansion, causing the men of the Ironhead Sect to shrink back under the piercing gaze of his lone eye. After some time, he concluded, “I think it would be cheaper to just tear down this building and rebuild it than try to restore it. Also, I heard about your plan. Founding a new sect to bring order to the slums… it’s a commendable goal indeed.”
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“It will also help open up new markets for the White Dragon Conglomerate.”
“Yes, and Young Master has also ordered us to provide you with our full support.”
Bok Manchun might have appeared as a friendly middle-aged man, but beneath that exterior was a shrewd operator with over twenty years of experience as a freelancer.
“Still, it’s going to take some time to turn these thugs into decent men.”
“Nah, it won’t take as long as you think.”
Bok Manchun nodded. “Well, I’ll trust in your area of expertise, Mr. Baek. Anyway, as agreed, the White Dragon Conglomerate will provide all the funds, manpower, and other resources needed to establish this sect.”
Cheoldu, Asam, and the other Ironhead Sect men stared at Bok Manchun in disbelief. Was this wealthy man really going to invest in their sect?
Baek Suryong was the only one who wasn’t surprised. It was all his money anyway. No matter how much credit Bok Manchun tried to take, in the end, it was Baek Suryong’s money funding everything.
“So, have you decided on a name for the sect?”
“A name…”
At Bok Manchun’s question, Baek Suryong looked around. The young men from the slums, poor and uneducated, were all staring at him anxiously.
If I leave them as they are, they would end up as escorts at best, bandits at worst. I can’t change the sins they’ve already committed, but I’ll make sure they live without adding to them.
In that moment, a fitting name came to him, and a wide grin spread across his face.
“How about the Rehabilitation Sect?”
Translator’s Note: If I disappear this weekend, blame Wukong.
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